Italy's tourist tax, and the Venice access fee.

The tax is set by the comune, the city or town, not by the national government, so roughly 1,200 of Italy's towns charge it and each picks its own rate. It is charged per person, per night, and it scales with the accommodation category: a 5-star hotel costs more per night than a 1-star or a campsite. It applies to everyone regardless of nationality, including on short-term rentals like Airbnb.

The part that catches people out is when and how you pay. The tax is almost never in the total you paid online. Your host collects it on arrival or at checkout, and many smaller places want it in cash, in euros. Set aside a little cash so you are not caught short. For the wider cash-and-card picture, see the Italy money guide.

Rates moved up across 2024 and 2025 and are still climbing. In Rome, the 2026 tax runs roughly 4 euros a night at a 1-star up to 10 euros at a 5-star, with short-term rentals around 6 euros, capped at 10 nights, and under-10s exempt. Florence runs about 3.50 to 8 euros by category, capped at 7 nights. Venice's overnight tax is lower, roughly 1 to 5 euros. Milan raised its rate for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Treat these as 2026 figures that each city can change, and note that the night caps and the child-exemption ages vary from place to place. The reliable move is to ask your accommodation for the exact per-night amount when you book, so the checkout figure is no surprise.

This is the one people mix up. Venice runs two different charges. If you stay overnight in Venice, you pay the overnight tourist tax through your hotel and you are exempt from the access fee. If you visit for the day without staying, on certain peak days you owe the Contributo di Accesso, a fee to enter the historic centre.

For 2026 the access fee is 5 euros per person if you book by the fourth-last day before your visit, or 10 euros if you pay later, and it applies on 60 designated days from 3 April to 26 July 2026, between 8:30 and 16:00. Children under 14 are exempt, and the smaller lagoon islands (Lido, Murano, Burano, Torcello) are not covered in 2026. You register and pay on the official city portal and carry the QR code. Note that restaurant bill extras like the coperto and any servizio are different again, and covered in tipping in Italy.

Common exemptions across Italian cities include young children, though the cutoff varies, often under 10 to under 14, and any nights beyond the capped number are not charged. Some cities also exempt people with disabilities and a companion, and patients or a carer staying near a hospital, but the rules are local, so do not assume.

There is no way to avoid the overnight tax at a legitimate property, and you should not try: it is a real, lawful charge. The only genuine savings are structural. The per-night cap means a longer stay in one city dilutes the cost, a lower accommodation category carries a lower rate, and in Venice, staying overnight removes the day-tripper access fee entirely.

Common questions

Quick answers.

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